Total Nerd What The Fans Want From Elder Scrolls VI

List Rules Vote up the game elements you're praying Bethesda will include in Elder Scrolls VI.

Fans have been speculating about what the next Elder Scrolls game will be like since Skyrim released in 2011. However, when Elder Scrolls VI was officially confirmed at E3 2018, excitement for the upcoming game reached a new level of intensity.

All across Reddit, Bethesdadevotees have argued over which features need to be included in the upcoming Elder Scrolls game, with ideas ranging from where the new story should be set to what new weapon classes should be added to the mix.

While everyone has their own opinion about Elder Scrolls VI, some desires seem to be on most people's minds. It's hard to disagree with the notion that Skyrim would be more fun with an in-depth combat system, or that Fallout 4's looting system is too good to exclude. Hopefully Bethesda is listening, because fans have a pretty solid idea of what the new Elder Scrolls game should be like.

list ordered by

1

103 10

A Better Main Storyline

In all theElder Scrolls games, the main quest lines take a backseat to side quests, which are generally more nuanced, bizarre, and gratifying. With Skyrim in particular, many players found the main story uninteresting, especially when compared to the game's optional missions.

While it's a wonderful feeling to stumble upon a fascinating side quest, it would be nice if the main narrative kept players engaged from start to finish. As it stands, it's a little odd to see the hero take a break from saving the world in favor of handling odd jobs for the local townsfolk.

2

81 13

A Relatively Bug-Free Release

Every modern Bethesda game has launched with a slew of technical bugs. While many of the biggest issues are patched relatively quickly, day one purchasers are made to endure game-breaking crashes and technical issues, even though every Bethesda game since 2011's Skyrim runs on the same Creation Engine.

Since the company has been working with the same engine for years, many fans wonder why their games still ship in an unfinished state.

3

87 17

More Character Customization Options

In 2015, Fallout 4 introduced a new character creation system that allowed players to create the least ugly characters ever seen in a Bethesda game.

While it'd be great to see improvements made on this system for Elder Scrolls VI, even a carbon copy of Fallout 4's character creation tool would be exciting, since it's four years newer than the one seen in Skyrim. Whatever Bethesda decides to do, characters who lack horrifically dead hair will be a marked improvement.

4

83 17

Nuanced Dungeon Scaling

In Skyrim, the difficulty scales to match the player's level. No matter how powerful an enemy appears to be, they're always around the same level as the player. While this makes the game more accessible, Redditors like /u/BioluminescentBoy feel the feature detracts from the overall experience. According to this user:

"There [should] be some high-risk areas from the start. If it's the castle of a well-known vampire master, you shouldn't be able to easily tackle it at an early level. Finding a dangerous place, developing your character and then beating it is really rewarding in itself."

5

74 15

Slower Guild Progression

Whether you're trying to infiltrate the Thieves Guild or become a member of the Dark Brotherhood/Assassins Guild, the related quest line is never more than several missions long, and it usually ends with the player in control of the organization.

If becoming the head of a guild was more difficult, the quest lines would be longer, and achieving control of an organization would feel extremely gratifying. Plus, this would help mitigate over-leveling, since the player couldn't easily reap the rewards of controlling multiple factions at once.

6

77 20

Settlements

Fallout 4's settlement system made the game's world a fun place to inhabit, even when the player wasn't blasting off super mutants' heads. Redditor /u/ Starwarsguy19 envisions Elder Scrolls VI furthering this mechanic, with base management playing out sort of like The Sims:

"One part of the Elder Scrolls that I've always enjoyed is, well, living! However, in recent games, this feature has taken a backseat to fighting and all that... In my ideal Elder Scrolls VI, house customization would be a feature... but let's take this idea a step further. What if the player was allowed to build their own city?"

7

65 14

Money Still Mattering Late In The Game

In pretty much every Bethesda game, the player reaches a point where they have too many resources. It's important to stockpile resources at first, but once you have the best armor, weapons, and spells in the game, there's no real reason to worry about saving up cash. Redditors like /u/ KNVB think players would stay engaged longer if they had more incentive to continue amassing wealth.

8

60 12

Separate Combat And Crafting Skills

In Skyrim, all the player's skills increase in the same manner (the more the player does a thing, the more skilled they become at it), and any skill increase also boosts the player's overall level. While this may sound streamlined, it's far too easy for a player to level up by practicing crafting skills (like alchemy or smithing) while their combat skills are still pitifully undeveloped.

9

66 17

Active Storytelling That Doesn't Rely On Reading Books

The last couple Elder Scrolls games rely heavily on in-game texts to convey information about the world. While it's cool to see a library full of readable books in a video game, actually taking time to pour over the franchise's complex lore can pull the player out of the action.

Bethesda needs to find a way to convey stories without sacrificing gameplay. Otherwise, players can easily miss out on some of the best parts of a game's narrative, as fans like Redditor /u/ViciousFenrir worry "most people don't take the time to read the diaries, etc. because they don't know or because they don't enjoy doing so."

10

64 16

A Complex Magic System

In older Elder Scrolls games, crafting and using spells was a deeply complex skill that took focus and dedication to master. While today's players might not want to record potion recipes in a real-life notebook, many would appreciate a more in-depth magic system then the one featured in Skyrim.

According to Redditor /u/ SirDingleberries, "The magic system is also heavily dumbed down from previous iterations, to the point that they can't really dumb it down any further and if they keep it the same, they're just cloning Skyrim."

11

61 16

Throwable Weapons

While the games offer a wide variety of melee weapons, spells, and bows, throwable weapons have thus far been noticeably absent from the Elder Scrolls franchise.

Redditor /u/ JarJarBinks590 describes their vision for a greater variety of projectile-based weapons:

"Javelins, throwing axes, throwing a shield Captain America style and returning it by magic... How about brewable explosive bottles to throw for various effects? Instead of going into a menu and applying the poison to your weapon, let me throw it into a crowd and share it."

12

64 18

More Complex Combat Systems

Combat has never been Elder Scrolls's strong-suit. In the past, fans have complained about fighting mechanics feeling repetitive and uninspired, as fights usually boil down to mindless hacking and slashing.

Redditor /u/ bobbity_bob_bob hopes Bethesda will add "more dynamic combat... where strikes are slower but more lethal and the right kind of parrying and moves are needed. Additionally, this user thinks "generic weapons should have more important stats to them in terms of speed and damage for different types of swings, critical chance, ability to pierce/bludgeon."

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52 12

The Loot System From 'Fallout 4'

Traditionally, when the player searches a fallen adversary or container in a Bethesda game, a separate menu pops up displaying the contents of whatever is being looted. Fallout 4 broke the mold by letting players see this list in-game, without needing to navigate a separate menu.

This feature helped speed up Fallout's moment-to-moment gameplay, but was notably lacking from the Skyrim remaster that released the following year in 2016. It would be amazing to see the feature implemented in Elder Scrolls VI, as Bethesda's second keystone franchise could benefit from the added streamlining.

14

51 12

Modular Crafting

Redditor /u/ NeroJoe thinks Elder Scrolls VI should take a page out of Fallout 4's book by allowing players to craft every aspect of their armor and weapons. This user wants to control "the material, blade style, guard, handle, and pommel"of their weapon, so that each player's armament of choice is unique to their playthrough.

15

67 23

Greater Diversity Of Dragons

Random dragon encounters are one of the most memorable parts of Skyrim, yet the game only features a handful of different dragon breeds, Other than their color and elemental strengths/weaknesses, they're all pretty much the same thing.

Assuming Elder Scrolls VI takes place after Skyrim chronologically, dragons could totally show up, and it would be great to see more unique dragons in the mix. Redditor /u/JarJarBinks590 also suggests making some dragons potential allies, as there's no reason why all dragons need to be evil.

16

58 19

More Non-Playable Races

The world of Skyrim may seem vast, but no matter where you go, every settlement is populated by the same 10 races. Redditors like /u/ OldWorld8lues think adding additional races would help make each area seem unique and varied. Some races might only exist in remote corners of the land, allowing for deeper exploration into how their environment impacts their cultural practices.

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47 14

Improved Horseback Combat

Horses are supposed to help the player get around, but the second they encounter a combat scenario, they tend to do more harm than good. Elder Scrolls fans like Redditor /u/ JarJarBinks590 hope the new game makes horseback combat feel less cumbersome, and that players will be able to use magic while riding. The ability to control your horse's movements while not playing would also be appreciated.

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40 20

Hammerfell As The Setting

Hammerfell is a coastal region in Tamriel that lies southwest of Skyrim. The area features a desert climate and is home to the Redguard people seen in previous Elder Scrolls games.

For years, Hammerfell has been many fans' top choice for a new game location. It's the third largest country in Tamriel, which means it could feature a wide range of diverse landscapes (desert, mountain, grasslands, coastline), and the Redguards' nomadic cultural practices are unlike any other race the franchise has explored.